.jpg) Tomato soup | |||||||
| Type | Soup | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Serving temperature | Hot or cold | ||||||
| Main ingredients | Tomatoes | ||||||
| Variations | Gazpacho | ||||||
| 30 kcal (130 kJ) | |||||||
| |||||||
Tomato soup is asoup withtomatoes as the primary ingredient. It can be served hot or cold, and may be made in a variety of ways.[1] It may be smooth in texture, and there are also recipes that include chunks of tomato,cream, chicken or vegetablestock,vermicelli, chunks of other vegetables and meatballs. Many countries have their own versions of tomato soup which all vary in taste, portions and ingredients.
The first published recipe for tomato soup appeared in N. K. M. Lee'sThe Cook's Own Book in 1832.[2]Eliza Leslie's tomato soup recipe featured inNew Cookery Book in 1857 popularized the dish.[3] TheCampbell Soup Company later helped popularize the dish with the introduction of condensed tomato soup in 1897.[4] In America, tomato soup was generally not consumed throughout the pre-civil war era due to a widespread belief that tomatoes were poisonous.[5]
Depending on the recipe, tomato soup is generally low in calories and high in potassium and vitamins C, K, and A. It is also rich inlycopene, a carotenoid pigment with many reputed health effects related to itsantioxidant properties. TheEuropean Food Safety Authority concluded in 2011 that there was insufficient evidence for lycopene having antioxidant effects in humans, particularly in skin, heart function, or vision protection from ultraviolet light.[6] The USFood and Drug Administration has similarly found that there is little scientific evidence that lycopene has an effect on specific forms of cancer, and prohibits manufacturers from making unqualified claims linking lycopene and cancer risk.[citation needed]
A simple tomato soup can be prepared simply with ingredients such ascanned tomatoes/tomatoes,onion,garlic,olive oil,vegetable broth or chicken broth and for the flavouringbutter,salt and pepper or if requiredsugar can be used.[7] It can also be made fresh by blanching tomatoes, removing the skins, then blending them into a puree. Fresh tomatoes are recommended to use only when they are very ripe, because the ripeness plays a crucial role in the depth of the flavour. In Poland, it is commonly prepared withtomato paste,chicken broth andsour cream. The soup is not "creamed" and contains pieces of vegetables such as carrots, parsley root, celery root, etc. It might be served with pasta or rice. The soup is often based onrosół that was cooked a few days earlier and hasn't been eaten. This way of cooking tomato soup and its popularity became an inside joke amongstPoles. In India, the soup is enhanced and usually spicy due to the availability of numerous spices. Indians usually substitutecumin,cardamom pods,ground cumin, gratedginger,turmeric,cayenne,coriander,garam masala,black pepper and topped withcilantro. The variation in the recipe differs from place to place.[8]
Gazpacho is a tomato soup ofSpanish origin, served cold. It originates in the region ofAndalucía in southern Spain. Gazpacho is widely consumed inSpanish cuisine, as well as in neighbouringPortugal, where it is known asgaspacho. Gazpacho is mostly consumed during the summer months, due to its refreshing qualities and cold serving temperature. Many variations of gazpacho exist. The key difference between a traditional tomato soup and gazpacho is that gazpacho is never heated in the first place and is just a puree of raw vegetables. The other major difference is the main ingredient. Gazpacho is not just a tomato-rich soup, but contains numerous different vegetables in considerable quantities, such ascucumber andbell peppers.[9]
In fact, in much of Andalusia and Extremadura where gazpacho is traditional,sopa de tomate, the literal translation oftomato soup, when not referring to modern industrial versions or foreign versions, refers to a particular local traditional hot soup that has stale bread as its main ingredient apart from tomato, usually with bell peppers, onion and garlic and often also poached eggs[10][11][12]. This soup is cooked and eaten hot, and more bread is used than in gazpacho, so it absorbs much of the water and tomato juices. This soup is rather a hotbread soup with tomato, related to other bread-based Spanish hot soups, such assopa de ajo, or to some versions of Southern Portugueseaçorda, and somewhat similar to Italianpappa al pomodoro. So, in Spain, and especially in Andalusia where gazpacho is most traditional,gazpacho is considered something quite different fromsopa de tomate (literallytomato soup).
Some kinds of borscht are made with tomatoes since the nineteenth century; tomatoes are tart enough to resemble beet sour or hogweed sour, found in ancient types of borscht.[citation needed]
Commercially prepared tomato soup is available in a variety of forms including preserved, condensed and in dehydrated powder form. Industrial tomato soup may becanned or come in a largedrink carton or bag.[13] "Tomato" ranks among the top three flavors of soup produced by theCampbell Soup Company.[14]
Industrial tomato soup is primarily tomato puree: that is, tomato paste and water with a few other ingredients added to enhance flavor and physical properties of the food.[citation needed]
The tomato is a high acid food therefore, "the tomato is not considered a high-risk food, as the pH of the fruit generally ranges from pH 4.2–4.9 with an average of about 4.5. At this point pathogens are unlikely to grow".[15] However, there are still some food-borne pathogens that can pose as a major problem when it comes to the safety of the food and itsshelf life stability. The main concern when canning is anaerobic microorganisms that produce toxins likeClostridium botulinum. Even though the tomato is a high acid food it still falls in the range where this organism can grow and produce toxin pH 4.6–8.5 with an optimum growing temperature between 30 and 40 °C and a maximum temperature of 50 °C. Even if the bacteria are killed they release heat-resistant spores that if they start to multiply become a threat.[16]
The cell wall structural importance for the plant's growth and stability in the ripening process is equally important to the quality of the tomato products it can produce. Thepectin and cellulose are what determine the apparent viscosity of the tomato product. If they are broken at higher temperatures more enzymes are deactivated than if they are broken at lower temperatures.[17]
Irish and Italians prefer creamy tomato soup, Germans want rice, and Colombians want spice.
